Hunters who shot at a protected bird in a Sicilian nature reserve last month were part of an organised Maltese hunting holiday, according to the Committee Against Bird Slaughter.
Andrea Rutigliano, CABS’ Italy investigations officer, told Times of Malta that the southern Sicilian coast regularly hosted groups of Maltese hunters in search of winged trophies, with as many as 700 visiting last year alone.
Luckily, the most recent group, he said, did not manage to hit the protected Eurasian crane, or grawwa, as a conservation warden was quick on the scene.
The hunters, who were seen pointing their shotguns at the low-flying bird while speaking Maltese, made a getaway in a white car bearing Maltese licence plates. The conservation warden, who has been to Malta, tried to detain the men but they fled.
The licence plate details were handed over to the Maltese Administrative Law Enforcement Unit, responsible for monitoring hunting illegalities.
Questions sent by this newspaper were not answered by the time of writing.
Dr Rutigliano said CABS had recently purchased the 80 hectares of protected swampland known as the Pantano Cuba wetlands, in the southeastern corner of Sicily, so the men were not meant to be on the land at all.
We have noticed hunters coming over when the number of birds in Malta is too low
Dr Rutigliano said a similar group, who visited Catania in November, had shot down as many as 30 protected birds, including rare species of owl. “We have noticed this phenomenon of hunters coming over when the number of birds in Malta is too low. This is an issue we are working on.”
The Maltese hunting market is so active, in fact, that foreign holiday firms are promoting “low prices for bird hunting trips” on social media.
Hunter Mark Mifsud Bonnici said a significant number of Maltese hunters go abroad to practise their pastime.
All birds shot down are consumed and “only those vandals who shoot down protected birds do not consume them,” he said.
Many hunters go abroad in the wintertime, mainly in search of waterfowl.